Mars and Jupiter will appear at their closest separation in Earth's sky at 9:04 p.m. EST on Nov. 15, which is 0204 GMT on Nov. 16, according to the astronomy website In-The-Sky. At that moment the pair will sit below the horizon for stargazers in the United States. Observers there can instead watch the two planets climb above the eastern horizon around midnight local time, only a few hours afterward.
Time and Date's night sky tracker can supply the exact rising and setting times for the planets above a given local horizon. Jupiter will be the brighter of the two when it comes up slightly more than 1 degree from the red light of Mars, a separation roughly matching the width of a little finger held out at arm's length. The bright star Regulus will shine nearby, marking the dot of the backward question mark of stars that stands for the head of the great Lion in the constellation Leo.
Mars and Jupiter will be close enough to fit together in the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Through a telescope, the pair will also make a spectacular sight when the two are examined separately as they rise away from the horizon. The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT114AZ is one option for a closer look at Jupiter, Mars and Saturn, offering a 4.5-inch aperture and a 1000mm focal length along with integration with the StarSense smartphone app, which the source notes makes finding those planets easier.
Jupiter's Great Red Spot will rotate into view in the predawn hours of Nov. 16. The storm will be visible through a backyard telescope with an aperture of just 4 inches. A light green color filter can help increase the visibility of the vast storm, while an orange filter can help bring out detail in the gas giant's sweeping cloud belts.
Over the coming weeks the two planets will appear to gradually drift apart. They will not appear as close again for another 2.5 years, in July 2029, when the pair appear close together in the constellation Virgo.
The source article was written by Anthony Wood, who joined Space.com in April 2025 after contributing articles to outlets including IGN, New Atlas and Gizmodo.
